To Know or Be Known
Galatians 4:9
"9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"
As a staff member at a local church, it's always fun to figure out creative ways to humbly admit to someone that I cannot remember their name or if I even recall who they are at all! A few weeks ago, I encountered a man who I KNEW I should know. His face was undeniably familiar, and I knew I had met him on numerous occasion and that he probably knew me by name. He walked up to me and proceeded to call me by my first name: "Hey there, Jeff! How are you?" And so began the painful path which would lead to me saying, "I'm sorry, but tell me who you are again?" knowing that the conversation could go no further until the connection between us had been reinstated.
I immediately began to realize how God sometimes deals with me. Sometimes, the connection, or relationship between God and I can become strained by yielding to sin, indulging distractions, becoming comfortable with life, or even ritualizing my faith (you know, only praying when there is a meal in front of me, only cracking a Bible open when other people are around, or offering to pray for someone just to make them feel better...that sort of thing?) I get so far down that path, and then I realize I need God, and I start praying based on my piously misdirected indoctrination that "God knows everybody," saying to Him, "Hey there, God! How are you?" ...
Painfully, God's response in that moment is always "I'm sorry, but tell me who you are again?" The reality kicks me in the teeth: I was just about to start asking favors from someone with whom my relationship and connection is strained at best. It's often difficult to remember that the fact that God knows everything and everybody does not excuse us from constantly seeking Him. In the verse just prior to the one above, we are told that the Spirit of God prompts us to cry out, "Abba, Father," or "Daddy," to the one, true, Living God. (see Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15)
"9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?"
All my life I was instructed by numerous preachers, Sunday school teachers, youth sponsors, counselors, and Spiritual mentors on the importance of "knowing God." While I appreciate their passion and influence with regards to my Spiritual well-being, I have come to realize that in this particular passage in Galatians, Paul's emphasis is actually not on us knowing God as much as it is on being known by God. And what exactly does it mean to be known by God?
As a staff member at a local church, it's always fun to figure out creative ways to humbly admit to someone that I cannot remember their name or if I even recall who they are at all! A few weeks ago, I encountered a man who I KNEW I should know. His face was undeniably familiar, and I knew I had met him on numerous occasion and that he probably knew me by name. He walked up to me and proceeded to call me by my first name: "Hey there, Jeff! How are you?" And so began the painful path which would lead to me saying, "I'm sorry, but tell me who you are again?" knowing that the conversation could go no further until the connection between us had been reinstated.
I immediately began to realize how God sometimes deals with me. Sometimes, the connection, or relationship between God and I can become strained by yielding to sin, indulging distractions, becoming comfortable with life, or even ritualizing my faith (you know, only praying when there is a meal in front of me, only cracking a Bible open when other people are around, or offering to pray for someone just to make them feel better...that sort of thing?) I get so far down that path, and then I realize I need God, and I start praying based on my piously misdirected indoctrination that "God knows everybody," saying to Him, "Hey there, God! How are you?" ...
Painfully, God's response in that moment is always "I'm sorry, but tell me who you are again?" The reality kicks me in the teeth: I was just about to start asking favors from someone with whom my relationship and connection is strained at best. It's often difficult to remember that the fact that God knows everything and everybody does not excuse us from constantly seeking Him. In the verse just prior to the one above, we are told that the Spirit of God prompts us to cry out, "Abba, Father," or "Daddy," to the one, true, Living God. (see Galatians 4:6 and Romans 8:15)
Are you so well-known by your Father in Heaven that you could call him, "Daddy," or would His response to you be, "I'm sorry, but tell me who you are again?"
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